The Boston Porter is the latest addition to Repose Furniture’s comprehensive healthcare seating range and follows the hugely successful launch of the Harlem Porter chair in 2017.

The Boston features new wing handles for ease of portering when the chair is occupied and the backrest is reclined and new double comfort lateral back cushion for luxurious support and comfort. With a choice of either an electric or manual model it comes with standard features that include Tilt in Space, independent backrest recline and leg elevation, as well height and angle adjustable footplate all aimed at maximising postural management. It is ideally suited to being part of a client’s 24-hour pressure care management programme.

Kate Sheehan, Repose’s resident Occupational Therapist says “The Boston could be used for multiple conditions, however there would be a huge benefit to palliative care and life limiting conditions such as late stages of neurological conditions. Due to its high level of deep comfort, it could be used for clients with painful joints, where any movement is

Comfort is at the very heart of the Boston and with a range of interchangeable pressure management back and seat cushion options it adds a further dimension to its adaptability enabling the chair to be changed to meet a user’s changing conditions or to support different users. This ensures that the chair has a greater longevity of usage.

Many care homes comment that their residents can often become agitated due to their condition, requiring additional staff resources to be with them to reduce their anxiety. However, feedback from care homes using the Boston has revealed that residents who have been using the Boston have had greatly reduced agitation and therefore been able to engage in activities and were at times able to fall asleep as they were so comfortable.

Kate Sheehan has been heavily involved in the design of both the Boston and Harlem commented “the Boston has been engineered to meet the needs of semi-ambulant and non-ambulant users with a range of additional support features to modify the chair to individual needs and the initial feedback from care home staff, residents and the relatives of residents has been fantastic!”.

The Boston comes as standard with an overall weight limit of 159kg (25 stone) and with a maximum leg rest weight of 57kg (9 stone). Please note that with certain pressure management seat cushions the overall weight limit might be reduced

The Harlem was designed specifically for people with Huntington’s Disease although due to its robust design can be used in a multitude of care settings including general portering for the frail and elderly.

Kate explains “the involuntary movements associated with HD can be extremely powerful and puts a huge amount of pressure and wear and tear on all parts of the chair. The constant movement and repositioning means that someone with HD might need up to 5000 calories a day to maintain body weight and weight loss can be significant which puts the client at risk of pressure related issues”.

People with HD must have the correct level of support around the head, neck and body to prevent them getting into positions which can affect their posture. The original structure of the chair was reinforced so when someone moves in an unusual way they still receive the core support from the chair with their body shape maintaining a good position. Another factor taken into consideration was maintenance costs. For example, if someone continually puts their leg over the arm of the chair it will eventually wear out the fabric, so Repose designed each part to be easily replaceable if required.

Repose designed the seat width and depth to make it slightly longer with longer arms to accommodate movements, as people tend to slide forwards, so it was about allowing that movement without causing extra pressure on the body. It was very much a compromise between what you can achieve whilst still producing a chair that is aesthetically pleasing as HD is such a complex condition.

Available in small, medium and large, the Harlem Porter has a maximum user weight of 20 stone. Standard features include an independent back rest recline and seat angle adjustment to reduce the risk of a patient falling out due to severe involuntary movements. There is also a deep padded seat area for additional safety and comfort, a choice of six interchangeable back styles and four different seat cushions facilitating different pressure management and posture solutions. Additional features include high arms and a sliding padded footplate for ease of patient movement as well as a leg support block for added comfort and stability.

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